The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility and efficacy of an electronically-mediated, pregnancy and postpartum, behavioral intervention program, compared to usual obstetric care, on changes in weight and cardiometabolic biomarkers among overweight and obese Black women.

Participants randomized to this condition will receive information and strategies to help them eat healthier and be more active during and after pregnancy. They will get this information about eating and activity through handouts, text messages, Facebook updates, and in-person visits and phone calls from a health coach.

Behavioral: Healthy Lifestyle Group

Electronically-mediated, behavioral intervention during and after pregnancy encouraging mothers to eat healthy, exercise, and return to their early pregnancy weights by 1 year postpartum

No Intervention: Usual Care

This condition is meant to represent standard clinical care provided to pregnant and postpartum mothers at Temple University.

Detailed Description:

Black women are in particular need for obesity prevention and treatment. Targeting the childbearing period has the potential to slow the accumulation of weight gain among this high risk group. Previous interventions to prevent postpartum weight retention among Blacks are sparse and limited by poor intervention adherence, high attrition, and failure to include pregnancy in the study design. The proposed research aims to overcome these shortcomings by developing an intervention that 1) focuses solely on Black women, 2) incorporates Black mothers' information needs, values, and social context, 3) uses technology to facilitate participant engagement, and 4) includes both the pregnancy and postpartum periods.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years and older

Genders Eligible for Study:

Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Yes

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Pregnant African-American women at least 18 years of age

BMI at recruitment between 25.0-44.9 kg/m2

Singleton pregnancy

Gestational age of ≤ 20 weeks as determined by last menstrual period

Plan to carry the pregnancy to term and keep the baby

Own a cell phone with a text messaging plan

Member of Facebook social networking site

Able to participate in physical activity

Participants must be willing to comply with all study-related procedures

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To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01530776